Zones: A Science Fiction Novel

Return to Book Page. Preview — O-Zone by Paul Theroux. O-Zone by Paul Theroux. New York is a sealed city. Visits to the eerie, radioactive wasteland of O-Zone are now rarer than moon landings. The people dumped there, 'aliens', officially do not exist. For Hooper Allbright and Fizzy, Theroux's futuristic Robinson Crusoes, the trip sets in motion an adventure of undreamed-of desire and terror.

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To ask other readers questions about O-Zone , please sign up. Lists with This Book. Jan 20, Oceana rated it it was ok Shelves: So, me and Paul Theroux, we have this thing going on. He writes, I read, and I love what I read. It's a love affair, really, albeit a very one-sided one, since Mr. Theroux is currently unaware of my continous devotion for his works and will remain, so, thank you very much.

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And yet, in every good love affair, there comes a point when the lovers disagree. Theroux and me have reached this point with his book "O-Zone". But love makes you blind, and so I was a bit surprised, but still completely trusting when I started reading it. And in the beginning, it was all good. I was even beginning to admire the way he built up the characters, the writing which is excellent of course , the way he introduces us to his fictive future world where large parts of the world are unpopulated areas, and the rest is strictly divided between the rich owners and the rest of the, barely human, population.

And it could have gone on like this. Only, one day you go to bed with a man whose different opinions you find interesting, and the next morning you wake up next to a stranger, and you realize, this is not the way you wanted your love life to turn out. And I woke up and realized that this is not the book I wanted to read. In fact, I'm only reading it because it's written by Theroux. And since he doesn't know me, I'm not really doing him any favors by continuing to read it.

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So I kind of skipped through the last pages, decided that there really wasn't anything in it that was worth reading more precisely, and put it away. I tried, but I think we'll agree to disagree on this one. Or maybe we don't even disagree? Maybe this book is one of that stupid things that everyone has done in their past, and you are kind of ashamed of them, but they are also a part of you.

Like, say, having had the walls of your room covered with posters of Axl Rose when you were Not that I one would ever amit to that in public. Whatever it is, I didn't like O-Zone much. Too constructed, a subject that doesn't interest me, not drastic enough to be truly apocalyptic or dystopian. Plus, I miss the brutal openness and almost voyeuristic honesty that's present in Theroux's other works, that make them so special to me. But a little disagreement like this certainly doesn't mean that our love affair is over! Dec 04, Duncan Ralston rated it really liked it.

The initial premise of O-Zone is a little laughable a bunch of self-involved, rich a-holes travel to a restricted zone for a New Year's party, braving possible death from radiation poisoning and aliens , but it really picks up around the page mark and rarely lets go. There's a "twist" around that point that blew my mind, and raised what was a vaguely typical '80s post-apocalyptic sci-fi to a diatribe on the '80s culture of waste, apathy and general disdain on par with "American Psycho.

Publicly-funded militias like Godseye a future version of Blackwater, aka Academi run rampant, given free reign to kill "aliens" without provocation. A definite must-read for soft sci-fi fans, especially if you prefer your sci-fi to say something about the human condition. Jun 11, Katherine rated it really liked it. A good intro to sci-fi.

Not too heavy and "sciency" - more regular story than most sci fi books. Jun 22, Troy Campbell rated it liked it Shelves: I read this when I was 12 or 13, but the vividness of the writing still comes back to me. It also meant I took this in a different light to the pretentious New York Times review. As with all dystopias, it sounds as implausible and laughable as Donald Trump becoming the President of the United States.

And, that pretty much sums it up. The book is rambling and ponderous, and basically how a travel writer would write a sci-fi novel. Mar 02, Rita rated it really liked it. Awesome story with a some of ingredients I love, I. Rich people take a trip to the Ozarks, where leaked nuclear waste has made a closed zone, thought to be uninhabited. It's inhabited, all right, with people that military groups of elite have dumped out of the armed cities.

Contact with the"aliens" in the zone changes these freakish elite forever. Jan 26, Rosanna rated it it was amazing Shelves: This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It is a novel about a group of privileged, sheltered, and egotistical members of the upper echelons of society and their confrontation with the unchartered wilderness and inhabitants of Ozone.

The job appeals to his ego because it allows him to play God—by creating thermal mountains he can alter and control the weather; meanwhile the company is using him to keep the price of oil high and in demand. Another idea being critiqued is the idea of a hyper-secure, privacy-violating police state. Because of the unrationalizing fear of the other, the Owners of Cold Harbor waive all their rights and go through intense security checks in order to obtain safety. However, as the book progresses we see how unsafe, despite all its security checks, Cold Harbor really is.

And as we later discover, many aliens are masquerading as Owners, showing that the security measures are all a farce.

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The book—though set in the future—deals with many of the problems of today, including: When I first started this book, I detested the characters and found the book a little dry, but as the story progresses one begins to understand the characters psyches and it is fun to watch their transformations. Theroux shows how the primitive often are the most civilized of us all.

Theroux writes an entertaining, suspenseful novel that warns us of a future that might come to fruition if we do not alter our current course. Jun 30, Rob rated it really liked it Recommends it for: I found O-Zone to be a really enjoyable science-fiction novel, impressively well written with an intriguing premise and a series of good ideas to explore. Theroux treats ideas of civilization, racism, decadence and closed communities with a huge dose of humanism, and creates a very memorable central character in Fizzy, the 15 year-old supermoron.

Unfortunately at times he appears in two minds as to whether he intends to write a thriller or a more philosophical piece, and as a consequence the pacin I found O-Zone to be a really enjoyable science-fiction novel, impressively well written with an intriguing premise and a series of good ideas to explore. Unfortunately at times he appears in two minds as to whether he intends to write a thriller or a more philosophical piece, and as a consequence the pacing seems to slip in some areas - there's really no need for the story itself to be pages long, but it's justified because Theroux wants to do more than tell the story.

The grim and uncompromising lives of the 'aliens' who live outside closed cities such as New York are skilfully contrasted with the ridiculous notions of the well-off owners, who take an almost childlike attitude to technology, wealth, liberty and sex. Theroux has tremendous skill in character observations and I thoroughly enjoyed these humorous passages. O-Zone's post-apocalyptic setting is familiar ground for sci-fi, and the motivations of his characters can seem contradictory and ultimately confusing.

But despite these flaws Theroux is a good storyteller who retains our interest through to his tale's finale. When a mainstream author essays to produce a science fiction novel, I am interested--sf authors having such a reputation for poor writing skills as they do. Theroux's O-Zone, like Lessing's Shikasta series, suggests there may be something special to good futuristic fiction writing, something that doesn't necessarily go along with the skills required in producing good novels of an ordinary kind. Whatever that special gift is, neither Theroux nor Lessing demonstrate it.

This book is bad, very bad, When a mainstream author essays to produce a science fiction novel, I am interested--sf authors having such a reputation for poor writing skills as they do. This book is bad, very bad, so bad and so unworthy of concern that I've appended a NYTimes review which explores the depths of its badness.

Feb 12, C. It's always a bit of a risk to read a futuristic novel that's a few decades old, but -- though it had a small handful of slogs mostly in the first half -- I'm glad I read it. The narrative was a bit simple but the characters coalesced into more fully rounded individuals, and I'm satisfied with the endings. I'm rather surprised at myself that Fizzy is probably the character I'll most clearly remember as he was one of the most opaque to start with. A respectable and fairly fast read. If there was It's always a bit of a risk to read a futuristic novel that's a few decades old, but -- though it had a small handful of slogs mostly in the first half -- I'm glad I read it.

If there was a 4-star system I'd give it "3". Jul 25, Greattempleroad rated it really liked it. I read this book quite a while ago and liked it more that time. It is still an interesting story, though the SciFi stuff is a bit dated. My main complaint is that it could have been edited down by about a hundred pages or so. The writing is of course great but I think Theroux must have intimidated a new editor or something. I skipped a few chapters and didn't feel like I missed that much.

Dec 14, H rated it really liked it.

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I demolished O-Zone while sat next to a pool in Spain when I was It's one of the few sci-fi books I've read and I really liked it. I keep meaning to read more sci-fi Apr 22, David Howell rated it it was ok. While the premise here is interesting, the execution is lumbering and unbalanced. Theroux sets up an interesting premise in the first act of the book, but quickly becomes dragged down by a heavy handed and highly repetitive attempt at characterisation. At it's heart, this is a story exploring the development of two male protagonists, the surrounding ensemble are ultimately irrelevant, and Theroux is particularly poor when it comes to giving his female characters any sense of depth.

The later hal While the premise here is interesting, the execution is lumbering and unbalanced. They were controlled from earth via "quantum entanglement" to allow for real time communication with planets that are thousands of lightyears away. The main story develops around the pirates that capture a princess who is traveling alone in her ship and then start a war against earth.

I don't know why exactly. I am fairly sure that the name of the book was "the zone" or something but I can't find it anywhere on the web. I would really like to read it again. Also I think that it was the first part of a series of three books.

'Zones' in science and weird fiction - stalker sci-fi science-fiction | Ask MetaFilter

According to the blurb quoted below, it's about a space pirate who kidnaps a sort of galactic princess, the daughter of the "despotic ruler of the known universe". It's the first book in Palmer's Debatable Space Universe series of three books; the other two titles in the series are Red Claw and Version Flanagan who is, for want of a better word, a pirate has a plan.

It seems relatively simple: Only the Cheo, despotic ruler of the known universe, isn't playing ball. Flanagan and his crew have seen this before, of course, but since they've learned a few tricks from the bad old days and since they know something about Lena that should make the plan foolproof, the Cheo's defiance is a major setback. It is a situation that calls for extreme measures. Luckily, Flanagan has considerable experience in this area.

By clicking "Post Your Answer", you acknowledge that you have read our updated terms of service , privacy policy and cookie policy , and that your continued use of the website is subject to these policies. Home Questions Tags Users Unanswered. Thanks for your help!! Sadly that was not the book that I am searching. There where no "slow zones" in the story.